January 2007 Newsletter

Notice of Annual   General Meeting

The Annual General meeting of the Cygnet Rowing Club will take place at the

Civil Service Boathouse on Sunday 18 February at 12.00 Noon

The Minutes of the Annual General meeting held on 19 February 2006 and of the Ordinary General Meeting held on 18 July 2006 will be displayed on the Club notice board for pre AGM viewing together with the Agenda.

Any Other Business to the Hon Secretary at his home address by 3 February at the very latest.

 

Club Photos - A series of new club photos is to be taken.  The first will be immediately after the AGM.  Please be there, trim and neat, for this historical record.    Stuart Gibbons – Vice Captain.

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COMMITTEE OF MANAGEMENT ANNUAL REPORT - 2006

The Committee presents its one hundred and seventeenth report, which is for the year ending 31December 2006

Rowing

During the season, in fully open events, the Club achieved wins on nine occasions one of which was a Novice IVs Qualifying win at Twickenham which involved four races for success. In addition N M Jackson in VeteranD/E Double Sculls with M Condon of Auriol Kensington won at Hammersmith and Chris Jillings won three veteran single sculls events. At Henley Royal Regatta Nick Wyatt and the Captain Neil Pickford were defeated in a heat of the Silver Goblets & Nickalls Challenge Cup by a pair from Jesus College & Goldie BC Cambridge. During the season the Cygnet pair had won convincingly  three times at S2 2, qualifying each time, and once at S1 2. At the Rhine Marathon two boats raced and unusually they were both sweep oared but they were unable to retain our Fastest Overseas Crew title, coming second to Fermoy.

 

General Meetings

Annual General Meeting –Held at the Boathouse on Sunday 19 February 2006.

Was attended by Vice-President and Chairman N J Wylie, Vice Presidents M A Arnold-Gilliat,

P L Rawkins, C Shea and A Cox, Vice President and Hon Treasurer, Dr R P du Parcq also Vice President and Hon Secretary R E Lambe, the Captain N V Pickford, the Deputy Captain Ms M Israel, Vice Captain S Gibbons, Water Safety Adviser C Davidson and seventeen other members.  Apologies for absence were received from P A S Sly and F E Bull.  Mr Sly was re-elected President as were the existing twelve Vice-Presidents. Re-elected were N J Wylie as Chairman, R E Lambe, Hon Secretary, Dr R P du Parcq, Hon Treasurer, N Wyatt as Assistant Secretary, A Naylor as Assistant Treasurer and I Stephenson as Social Secretary.  Committee Members elected were C Dunhill, D French, O Herbert, P L Rawkins and M Roughton. F E Bull; M A Arnold-Gilliat and R E Lambe were re-appointed Trustees and M J Burman and T N Davison approved as Honorary Auditors.

 

The Annual Report had previously been circulated and was adopted.  The Captain's report was presented and adopted.  The Audited Accounts presented by Dr R P du Parcq, the Water Safety Adviser’s Report and the Bungalow Report presented by the Hon Secretary were also adopted.  

 

Ordinary General Meeting & Election of the Captaincy held on Tuesday 18 July 2006

Chaired by N J Wylie eighteen members were present.  Mr Pickford presented his Captain's Report which had previously been circulated.  He summarised by stating that he considered that the year had been reasonably successful.  The club had been well represented in all the major head races and at many regattas.  Social events had also been successful.  There was a steady trickle of new faces that were staying which boded well for the future.  A win as the fastest crew from overseas in the Rhine Marathon had been very pleasing as was the S4 Pennant won by J Kinal in the Sculler’s Head.  He thanked all who had helped him. 

 Mr Cox distributed copies of the 300 Club accounts and explained that they had been passed to the auditors for approval.  During the period under review 626 tickets had been sold to 144, 30 of whom he had never met.  The net profit for the year was £3,514.67 plus a  £25 donation. Prize money distributed was £2,850.00.

 

There being no other nominations the following were elected to Office:-

Captain, N Pickford, Deputy Captain Ms M Israλl and Vice Captain S Gibbons

 

Club Management

Five committee meetings were held during the year with a 61% attendance record which was very poor compared with the norm. The ARA was advised that the number of members for whom affiliation payments were due was 62.  Items of special note are detailed below. 

 

The Captaincy

A report will be presented at the AGM.

 

The Boat Buying Programme

No new craft were bought during the year although the purchase of a new four or an eight is financially viable.  Professional repair of several boats was necessary and also in-house day to day maintenance of others..
 

Finance

The Hon Treasurer Dr R P du Parcq will present the audited annual accounts at the AGM.

 

Recruitment
Seventeen new members, including a coxswain, were elected during the year three of whom were Civil Servants.
 
Civil Service Sports Council Annual Conference
Was attended on behalf of the club in June by Phil Brown. The emphasis this year was on the buying power of the CSSC. There was no direct report on the intended association of the Chiswick Ground with the ROKO organisation although various concerns were expressed. Earlier in the year Dr du Parcq had attended a meeting on the Club’s behalf regarding ROKO at Chiswick which he had previously reported upon to the management committee...  At the conference the CSSC view was that bringing in commercial use of the existing facilities would ensure they were still available to CSSC members at reasonable cost.  Without, it was possible that these facilities would no longer be viable.  Various matters were reported upon including communications at which Cygnet seemed to be with the best.  An increase in membership subscription by 10p a month to £2.85 a month or £34.20 a year was agreed.  The ability for one time members who were no longer in the service to rejoin is to be reviewed.  At present this is limited to the three months immediately after leaving the Civil Service. .
 
CSSC Rowing
Earlier in the year and resulting from the 2005 conference Mr Brown had produced a paper to promote and establish CSSC rowing as a sport enjoyed more widely throughout the UK.  After discussion in committee it was felt that for Cygnet it was currently impractical for it to promote such a scheme.         

 

The Website

Under its Master, M Collier, the website continued to inform, advise and amuse. With many photographs of Cygnets not only on the water but also at play.  To keep up to date with Cygnet activities all members and friends are urged to log on to www.Cygnet-RC.org.uk. 

 

The Bungalow

The Bungalow continues to be popular with both members and regular weekly users. Again a very successful year financially. The premises were fully in use from May until September and also at several weekends. Two Cygnet Sculling Camps were held and also one by the MAABC. Essential maintenance and repairs were carried out. The Bungalow Secretary will present a full report at the Annual General Meeting.

 
Dr Neil Jackson

It is pleasing to report that not only does Neil continue as our   Divisional Representative for the ARA but has also been elected as the Water Safety Adviser For the Thames Regional Rowing Council.

 
Social Events

Originally the Veterans Lunch now held each year at Leander in October was a semi private function held for members who rowed in the 50s and 60s.  For the first time this year it was designated the principal Club social function at which all members and friends could attend.  It was pleasing to see that one table was occupied solely by current members.  With excellent food and genuine camaraderie it is an important occasion in the club’s social calendar. Our congratulations are extended to Phil Beckett and Paul Rawkins for organising such a successful event for the second year running.

 

The Bungalow Barbecue was held on 12 August and although due to racing commitments no crew rowed up to from Chiswick to Shepperton it was again a popular success. During the year there were other local and less formal events organised jointly with the BBLRC. 

 

F E (John) Bull

As all are aware Frank (Johnny) Bull passed away in August of this year.  His ashes were finally cast into the Thames at the club bungalow on Hamhaugh Island on 3rd November.  All told over 20 friends representing both clubs were present for the ash scattering, a toast in his memory and lunch.

 

Conclusion

Cygnet is a small club and not normally expected to succeed against some of the larger and over aggressive pot hunting clubs.  But we do and it is not unusual for our members to overcome competition from such as Thames and Kingston. When racing or training the club is as determined as any other. The Captaincy works as a team and has the full support of the club management committee. Cygnet is a happy club with ideals of genuine good fellowship and sportsmanship.

 

300 Club - Winners

                £100                                        £60                                    £40                                           £25

June        D Cooke (139)                       P A S Sly ( 189)             G du Parq-Braham(136)     Mrs J Carney (432)

July         S Dargan (330)                      M Israιl (497)                Ms P Sly (108)                      S Keating (411)

August  L McVeigh (463)                   Ms Mukarwengo (522)  Mrs M Jones (118)            C Davidson (348)

Sept  M Byrne (318)     M Collier(351)  R du Parcq (419)  D Cooke(560)

Oct   M Baldwin (188)   C Davidson(348) Ms P Sly (108)  G Russell (155)

 

The Bungalow – 2007 – Few dates left.

I already have 17 weeks reserved plus two Cygnet and two MAABC  Sculling Camps.  Weeks still available are Sundays week commencing  29 April then 13  and 20 May plus 17 June and  then nothing until 20 September.  So book now on   01483 537346 or ronald.lambe@btinternet.com

          

Hatches, Matches and Great Expectations but no Dispatches

To Annabel Hall (BBLRC) and her partner Nick Bates – Madeline born 7 January

Helen (BBLRC) and Steve Keating – an heir arriving this month

Theresa Salter (BBLRC) and her partner Mike Collier – A little one due in July

 

Ian Stephenson (aka Geordie) and T (Tracey Lowles BBLRC) married on 8th September 2006.

David French and Anna Lake married on 30th December.

Mark Baldwin and Brooke married on 3rd January in Sydney

 

Chris Davidson and his partner Kate Jackson  plan to marry in Sussex on 5th May

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inundation - 1953

 

The Club Historian Writes: In this era of climate change, hurricanes and flooding, we recall a Sunday morning a little over half a century ago, 1953 to be precise, when a wall of water surged up the Tideway, submerging the Boathouse and all around it to a depth of some five feet. In the absence of today’s unsightly concrete defence walls (erected in the early 1970s), river water poured into the void between Barnes Bridge and Duke’s Meadows and the Civil Service Boathouse was isolated in the middle of a small lake, Emanuel School Boathouse having not yet been built. As the Club History laments “the surge of water burst through the dressing room doors and, on the men’s side, tossed full barrels of best from one end of the room to the other, causing considerable damage to walls and fittings and, alas, to the beer.”

 

As our photograph shows, members turning up for Sunday morning rowing were presented with a dismal scene and some doubtless reflected on the dubious wisdom of having the bar below sea level and the boats above! There being no way for the entrapped flood water to escape, the assistance of the London Fire Brigade was sought to pump the water back into the river. Once the water had finally drained away, members were left to contemplate a thick layer of Thames mud which had enveloped the changing rooms and the lawn. To add insult to injury, the lawn had only recently been created using turfs salvaged from the Civil Service Sports Ground grass tennis courts. Weeks of painstaking scrubbing and scraping followed. Today, the lawn looks none the worse for the experience, but some would argue that the all pervading atmosphere in the men’s changing room never really dissipated!  Your secretary adds his own personal recollections of that fateful Sunday morning:

 

(My own recollections are hazy.  But the night before, a Saturday, I with other Cygnets had been at a dance at the Hammersmith Town Hall.  Accompanied by old chum Doug Hutchins it became necessary to walk home via Catelnau and  Barnes Common.   I slipped and fell and rolled down towards Beverly Brook.  Doug grabbed me and stopped  my slide to a possible  watery conclusion.  He claimed to have saved my life from a possible drunken fate in spite of the fact that the inundation wasn’t until several hours later.  I also deny that beer was any way responsible for my near wetting  REL).

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Subscriptions and Donations

Are always due, please return this tear-off slip with your cheque to the Treasurer, Dr R P du Parcq, 152 Castelnau, London, SW13 9ET.  Active Members -who are members of the Civil Service Sports Council - £150, others - £213.  Club Friends - Suggested minimum - £20.

 

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REL 12/1/07